3 Guy Clark Songs With the Most Exquisite Lyrics Ever Written

There are songwriters, and then there is Guy Clark. Clark is considered to be one of the best songwriters of all time, in any genre. His songs almost always sound like him, thanks to one of his not-so-secret traits.

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“One thing I always try to do is, no matter how serious or dark the song, there’s a little chuckle in it,” Clark tells Goldmine. “Humor or laughter is just as important an emotion as the blues. Most of the time, you have them simultaneously. You’ve got to laugh at yourself.

Clark’s songwriting credits are too numerous to list, but these are three of his songs, which contain the most exquisite lyrics ever written.

“Oklahoma Borderline” by Vince Gill

Gill is a talented and prolific songwriter on his own. But in the beginning of his career, he recorded “Oklahoma Borderline“. Written by Clark, Gill, and Rodney Crowell, the song is on Gill’s freshman album, The Things That Matter.

Released as a single in 1985, “Oklahoma Borderline” is full of visual imagery. The song says in part, “So with two bucks in my pocket / And my thumb stuck in the wind / When I cross Red River, boys / I won’t be back again / Give me old back roads and truck stops / And 18 wheels that whine / And some good ol’ boy to take me / To that Oklahoma line.”

“My Favorite Picture Of You”

“My Favorite Picture Of You” is written by Clark and Gordie Sampson. Clark released it on his own as the title track of his final album. My Favorite Picture Of You was released in 2013. It is Clark’s final album of new material that he released before passing away in 2016.

“My Favorite Picture Of You” says, “My favorite picture of you / Is bent and it’s faded / And it’s pinned to my wall / Oh and you were so angry / It’s hard to believe / We were lovers at all / There’s a fire in your eyes / You’ve got your heart on your sleeve / A curse on your lips but all I can see / Is beautiful.”

“All Through Throwing Good Love After Bad” by Tammy Wynette

In 1987, Tammy Wynette released her Higher Ground album. The project includes “All Through Throwing Good Love After Bad”, a song Clark wrote with Richard Leigh.

A song of regret, “All Through Throwing Good Love After Bad” says, “Oh Lord won’t you look what I’ve found / Starin’ me right in the face / I’m through being lonely, I’m through being sad / I’m all through throwing good love after bad. / When I think of all the time I have wasted / Wearing my heart on my sleeve / Entrusting my love to the kindness of strangers / Oh, I was so naive.”

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